Posts by Kimberly Sullivan
The chicken and egg debate in writing
I was think of the old expression ‘What came first the chicken, or the egg?’ as I was reading W. Somerset Maugham’s foreword to his fabulous The Painted Veil. Maugham claims he always started his novels and short stories from a character, and the setting and story would naturally fall into place. In his foreword,…
Read MoreReason #5373 to love Rome: Basketball
Most people know that Italians really only have one true sport. Call it soccer, calcio, football. It’s all the Italians love. Yes, when the Olympics roll around, Italians tend to do well in fencing, swimming and water polo. In the winter, the German minority in Italy’s Alto Adige region pile up the medals in skiing,…
Read MoreKindle version of Foreign & Far Away anthology now available
You may remember that I announced when the Foreign & Far Away anthology was launched back in October. I’d now like to let readers know that the Kindle version is now available, at the following Amazon link. This anthology is released each year by the organization Writer’s Abroad, following a call for contribution from expat…
Read MoreMonkeying around in Bali, Indonesia
Since I visited Bali last summer with two active boys in tow, I can recommend lots of places kids will love on this beautiful Indonesian island. I’ve already posted about the Bali Bird Park, and the TreeTop Adventure rope courses, and about kid-friendly hotels you’ll love in Bali. Another not-to-be-missed visit is to the fabulous…
Read MoreWriting inspiration on the commute
I’m very pleased to be a car-free commuter. My early morning walk into work is just under 20 minutes and – at the risk of sounding immodest – it’s one of the prettiest commutes ever. I live in Rome and each day I watch the Colosseum loom into sight as I descend the hill in…
Read MoreFive ‘must-sees’ on your Tunisia visit
The north African country of Tunisia is tiny, but has so much to offer visitors. We were last there just before the Arab Spring, when it was a popular destination for European tourists wanting to explore its beaches and deserts, its cosmopolitan capital city, its ancient desert trading posts, its impressive Roman ruins… Unfortunately, tourism…
Read MoreThe word count conundrum
At some point before submitting, a writer must confront the big question out there : What kind of word count is acceptable to literary agents and publishers? Fortunately, there’s a VERY helpful post for writers from Writer’s Digest on word count, broken down by genre. This is something you may not have considered until the…
Read MoreReason #5372 to love Rome: Soccer/Football card trading
Okay, this falls firmly under the ‘things we do as parents for our kids’ category. My half-Italian sons are – like 99.9% of their peers- crazy about calcio (soccer for Americans, football for Brits). Here, all the kids collect football cards, buying packets, putting them in their albums, trading them with their friends. But the…
Read More#ReadWomen2014
I read about this great initiative, the #ReadWomen2014 Twitter campaign earlier this year. In recent years, a lot of attention has been focused on the gender bias in the publishing industry. Despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of readers are women, male authors still enjoy the lion’s share of media attention, awards, covers of…
Read MoreNot just mustard in Dijon, France
Okay, perhaps Dijon’s biggest name recognition comes form those jars of tasty, spicy mustard, but there are lots more reasons to go to this charming city, southeast of Paris, in France’s Bourgogne region. A few summers ago, we stopped off at Dijon as we were driving to our holiday in Brittany. Needless to say, we…
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